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Northern Ireland’s agriculture department suspended some post-Brexit food checks at the ports of Larne and Belfast after a local council withdrew staff over safety concerns.
Several city hall staff conducting inspection checks at the port of Larne were removed from their duties following an “increase in sinister and threatening conduct” linked to tensions over Northern Ireland protocol.
Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said on social media late Monday that he had decided to withdraw staff from the port of Belfast and Larne, saying their safety “remains paramount.” He added that he had spoken with UK government ministers and “described the issues that concerned him.”
All animal-based food regulatory controls have been suspended at the ports of Belfast and Larne, the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said.
The Council of Middle and East Antrim said in a statement Monday that councilors had unanimously decided to withdraw all council staff from the port of Larne with immediate effect due to concerns for their safety and well-being.
This included “graffiti within the local area that references the growing tensions around the Northern Ireland protocol and describes port staff as ‘targets’,” the council said.
This had caused “extreme distress and concern to staff”, and unions had expressed “serious concerns” about their safety.
The council “had no choice but to remove them from their duties to fulfill their duty of care and to conduct a full risk assessment with the PSNI, the Food Standards Agency and DAERA,” the statement said, adding that the Council apologized for any disruption “but the safety and well-being of the staff is of the utmost importance.”
Twelve environmental health officers employed by the council were attached to the port as of Monday’s decision, as well as several senior council officers.
The Executive Director of the council has informed the Minister of Agriculture of the council’s decision, and further discussions are planned for this week.
‘Boiling tensions’
The Mayor of Middle and East Antrim, DUP Councilor Peter Johnston, said the area had seen “what I would describe as deeply disturbing graffiti and a very noticeable increase in community tensions towards the Northern Ireland protocol, particularly in the last days.
“The health and well-being of our staff is always the number one priority of this city council and that is why the decision has been made to withdraw them from their work in the port with immediate effect until we have very real guarantees and full confidence that they can continue their duties without fear, threat or concern for their welfare ”.
Sinn Féin Councilor James McKeown said staff “would only return when we are fully satisfied that it is safe and correct for them to do so.
“There are latent tensions within the local community at the moment and we will not stand by and let our staff be the target when they are simply doing their job.”
SDLP councilor Eugene Reid said it was a “disgrace” that the Mid and East Antrim council had been forced to withdraw its employees from the port. “The threats must be lifted and those responsible must get rid of these workers,” he said.
“Over the course of the past few days, political leaders have fallen far short of the standards we should expect,” he said. “The language used and the tone of the discussion related to the Northern Ireland protocol has raised tensions and fueled fear.
“It should be the role of all leaders to extract the poison from public dialogue, and I am challenging everyone to do that. I also ask that all political leaders clearly and unequivocally condemn those behind these threats and their tactics. “
Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said on social media late Monday that he had decided to withdraw staff from the port of Belfast and Larne, saying their safety “remains paramount.”
He added that he had spoken with UK government ministers and “described the issues that concerned him.”
Loyal Communities
Last week, PSNI Deputy Chief of Police Mark McEwan told the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that there was growing discontent in loyal communities over the Northern Ireland protocol.
They oppose the protocol because it establishes a customs and regulatory border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Since it became operational on January 1, trade union parties in the North have repeatedly called for Article 16 to be eliminated and invoked to address problems related to the supply of food and other goods to the North.
McEwan said police were “starting to see graffiti” and was “picking up on social media sentiment of growing discontent, particularly within the Protestant / loyal / union community” and suggested that if it weren’t for Covid-19 there would be streets. protests. – Additional reporting PA
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